Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Hospitals

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government which NHS Nightingale hospitals have admitted patients.

lord bethell: The information is not available in the format requested.

Hospitals: Lancashire

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often staff working at (1) Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, and (2) Preston Hospital, are tested for COVID-19.

lord bethell: Testing National Health Service staff who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 has been available from 29 March 2020. The NHS staff groups of both Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, and Preston Hospital are included within this guidance and any other NHS England guidance.Further guidance is now available on testing non-symptomatic staff groups.

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital: Coronavirus

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the pathology laboratory at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital is not being used for COVID-19 testing.

lord bethell: In line with the Lord Carter of Coles report furthering the modernisation of pathology services, a network approach supporting the consolidation and integration of laboratory testing continues to progress. The networked approach has enabled the pathology services across England to stand up significant testing capability rapidly.Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust host the microbiology hub and provide COVID-19 testing for the hospitals within its management, including Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise public awareness about the long-term effects of COVID-19 experienced by some people whohad only mild symptoms of the disease.

lord bethell: COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the medical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing long-term effects, to enable them to make as full a recovery as possible.The UK Research and Innovation-National Institute for Health Research Rapid Response Rolling Call has funded a large post-hospitalisation study. The study, announced in July, will establish a national consortium and a research platform embedded within clinical care to better understand and improve long-term outcomes for survivors following hospitalisation with COVID-19. It will also help to ensure future treatment can be tailored as much as possible to the person.The new ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, forms part of National Health Service plans to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support those suffering long-term effects from COVID-19.

lord bethell: The National Health Service and the wider scientific community are currently working to better understand the disease course of the COVID-19 virus, including the severity and duration of symptoms. The UK Research and Innovation-National Institute for Health Research Rapid Response Rolling Call has funded a large post-hospitalisation study. The study, announced in July, will establish a national consortium and a research platform embedded within clinical care to understand and improve long-term outcomes for survivors following hospitalisation with COVID-19. NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to develop a digital, interactive, personalised recovery programme for people recovering from COVID-19. The new ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, which was announced on 5 July, forms part of NHS plans to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

NHS: Coronavirus

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the cost to the NHS of the long-term health effects caused by COVID-19.

lord bethell: COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the medical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing long-term effects of the virus.The UK Research and Innovation-National Institute for Health Research Rapid Response Rolling Call has funded a large post-hospitalisation study. The study, announced in July, will establish a national consortium and a research platform embedded within clinical care to better understand and improve long-term outcomes for survivors following hospitalisation with COVID-19. It will also help to ensure future treatment can be tailored as much as possible to the person.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by UK-based companies inaddressing COVID-19.

lord bethell: United Kingdom-based companies have played a major role in working with the Department on some of the most challenging healthcare areas of the response to COVID-19. These have included:- building UK manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE) capacity by signing contracts to manufacture over three billion items of PPE with over 30 UK-based companies; and- at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in March there were more than 8,000 mechanical ventilators in hospitals across the UK. As of the end of July we now have over 30,000 mechanical ventilators available to the National Health Service. 14,679 of these are from new suppliers responding to the Prime Minister’s ventilator challenge and are mostly made in the UK.

World Health Organisation: Coronavirus

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the World Health Organisation in their work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: The United Kingdom continues to have a strong and committed relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), which has an important role to play in leading the global health response to COVID-19, and works closely with them at country, regional and global levels. The UK is the second largest member state donor to the WHO and has already contributed £75 million to help the WHO lead the international efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

Health Professions: Coronavirus

lord robathan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS (1) doctors, (2) nurses, and (3) other workers, aged (a) 18–24, (b) 25–29, (c) 30–34, (d) 35–39, (e) 40 or more, years old have (i) contracted, and (ii) died as a result of, COVID-19.

lord bethell: The Department does not hold the information on the number of National Health Service staff that have contracted or died as a result of COVID-19 in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Screening

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend COVID-19 antigen testing to the entire population.

lord bethell: Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms can get a free test and must get tested as soon as their symptoms develop. The swab test takes less than a minute, is pain free and results from test sites are received within a day of the test being administered. The Government has put in place the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history. The programme achieved the capacity to deliver 100,000 tests a day by 30 April, 200,000 tests a day by 30 May and is now capable of delivering more than 300,000 tests a day. We are committed to increasing this capacity to 500,000 by the end of October.

Pregnancy Tests

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received (1) from the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests on behalf of families affected by Primados, and (2) following the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety ReviewFirst do no harm, published on 8 July; and when they intend to respond to any such representations.

lord bethell: On behalf of affected families, the Chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) attended every meeting of the Commission on Human Medicines’ Expert Working Group on HPTs and was invited to discuss their draft recommendations and give a statement to the Commission on the draft report of the Group. In addition, 13 affected families gave their personal experiences with Primodos to the Expert Working Group. Since publication of the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, we have received a letter from the Chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests and will be responding shortly.The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review published its report on 8 July and all of its recommendations will be considered carefully. The Government will provide an update in due course.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to use the private healthcare sector to help clear the backlog of healthcare cases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: National Health Service patients are benefitting from an unprecedented partnership with private hospitals in the United Kingdom as we battle the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with the independent sector to secure all appropriate inpatient capacity and other resource across England. This has increased NHS capacity and ensured that more facilities are available for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.Throughout this period, independent providers have continued to provide urgent operations for NHS patients, as well as their private pay or insured patients.As part of preparing for winter, the Government has provided an additional £3 billion to the NHS. This will allow the NHS to continue to use the extra hospital capacity acquired from the independent sector and also to maintain the Nightingale hospitals until the end of March.

Health services: Immigrants

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Immigration Health Surcharge exemption will extend to international volunteers from other countries working, or currently applying to work, in (1) Camphill communities, and (2) other health and social care settings, under Tier 5 visa arrangements.

lord bethell: The Department is working to identify those working in the health and care sector, who will be eligible for the reimbursement from 1 October. We will publish further details about how to apply and demonstrate eligibility in the coming months.

Pharmacy: Prescription Drugs

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much NHS England has saved since over the counter medicines were taken off the prescription list in 2018.

lord bethell: In March 2018, NHS England and NHS Improvement and NHS Clinical Commissioners published Conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups.Since publication of this guidance, there has been a reduction in spend of £32 million on over the counter items. This reduction includes spending on over the counter items for conditions that are self-limiting and conditions which lend themselves to self-care, as well as vitamins, minerals and probiotics. This estimate is correct as at 10 July 2020.The list of over the counter products is updated as new products become available.

Prescription Drugs: Fees and Charges

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have had to pay for an additional prescription each year if their medication has been recalled due to safety concerns in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, (4) 2018, and (5) 2019.

lord bethell: If a prescription item is recalled, the patient is issued with a new prescription for an alternative product which will then be dispensed as a separate item. The prescriptions data systems are unable to identify this as a replacement product; therefore, this information is not held centrally.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people paid for a prescription each year in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, (4) 2018, and (5) 2019.

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have benefitted from the NHS low income scheme (HC2 certificate) each year in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, (4) 2018, and (5) 2019.

lord bethell: The information requested on the number of people who have paid for prescriptions is not collected centrally. The NHS Business Services Authority collects data on the number of prescription items dispensed and paid for but does not hold data on the number of people who have paid for their prescriptions.The NHS Business Services Authority processes the NHS Low Income Scheme and issues HC2 certificates. It does not hold data on how many people have used their certificate after it is issued; and multiple people in a household in addition to the applicant might be covered by a certificate, including partner and children. However, data is supplied on the number of HC2 certificates issued in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. This is shown in the following table:PeriodNumber of HC2 certificates issued2014-15214,9752015-16225,2392016-17214,8672017-18206,5992018-19182,661 Note: Data is recorded April-March. Data provided is recorded on a monthly basis and recorded in the NHS Low Income Scheme Annual Statistics Report. This data relates to the number of certificates issued, not the number of people supported by the NHS Low Income Scheme.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to suspend prescription charges with immediate effect for all people with long-term conditions in England.

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey plan to conducta review of the current system for prescription charges and exemptions in the light of COVID-19 and its impact.

lord bethell: The Department has no plans to suspend or conduct a review of the current system for prescription charges and exemptions, including for those people with long-term conditions in England. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of exemptions from the prescription charge for which someone with a long-term condition may qualify, including for people on low incomes through receipt of specific benefits and through the NHS Low Income Scheme.To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription pre-payment certificates are available for three months or 12-month periods. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

Health Services and Social Services

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future (1) funding, and (2) planning, arrangements in the health and social care sector.

lord bethell: The Government is delivering on its historic five-year National Health Service settlement. The NHS budget will increase by £33.9 billion a year in cash terms by 2023-24 (compared to 2018-19), reflecting that the NHS is this Government’s top domestic spending priority and helping to fund the NHS Long Term Plan.As regards social care funding, the Government provided councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adult and children’s social care in 2020/21 on top of maintaining £2.5 billion of existing social care grants. This was to support local authorities to meet rising demand and continue to stabilise the social care system. In addition, we have now made £3.7 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including in adult social care.On 21 July the Chancellor launched the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review which will set out the Government’s spending plans for health and social care for future years.

Genetic Engineering

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made by NICE of the suitability of applying the 1.5per cent non-reference discount rate for one time gene therapies that offer long-term health benefits.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times NICE(1) has accepted, and (2) has rejected, a manufacturer request to apply the 1.5per cent non-reference discount rate as part of a single technology appraisal final appraisal determination in the last five years; in which technology appraisal guidance documents that discount rate was applied; and in each case, what were the reasons for (a) the acceptance, and (b) the rejection, of such arequest.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NICEapplies the recommendations of theHM Treasury's Green Book concerning the application of a 1.5per cent discount rate for health benefits and costs; and if not, why not.

lord bethell: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is considering discounting in its ongoing methods review for both technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies. This includes consideration of different discount rates, including reference-case and non-reference-case, and the circumstances in which they might be considered.As of May 2019, nine pieces of technology appraisal (TA) guidance and three pieces of highly specialised technologies (HST) guidance include discussions about discounting, specifically the appropriateness of using non-reference-case discount rates.Non-reference-case rates were considered appropriate in one TA (TA538) and partially in one HST evaluation (HST7). Where non-reference-case discounting was not accepted, the committee’s considerations varied according to the circumstances of the individual appraisals; common themes included whether the technology aligned with the intention of the non-reference-case discounting criteria, uncertainties about long-term health effects, and whether the treatment would restore patients to ‘full or near full health’.The discount rates applied by NICE in its health technology assessments are specified in its methods guides. These specify that the reference case discount rate is 3.5% per year for costs and health effects; a non-reference-case discount rate of 1.5% per year for costs and health effects may be considered in specific circumstances.Sensitivity analyses using rates of 1.5% for both costs and health effects may be presented alongside the reference-case analysis. In certain cases, cost-effectiveness analyses are very sensitive to the discount rate used, and in these circumstances a non-reference-case discount rate for costs and outcomes may be considered.NICE is considering whether there is a case for change in discounting in its ongoing methods review for both technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies.

Neurology

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the findings of the recent survey by the Neurological Alliance, Restarting services for people with neurological conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic and planning for the longer term, published on 7 July, that (1) 47 per cent of those surveyed had had their appointments with a neurologist delayed because of COVID-19, and (2) almost 39 per cent of those who were due to see a neurologist were not given a future date for their delayed appointment; and when all NHS services for people with neurological conditions will reopen.

lord bethell: The Neurological Alliance report, Restarting services for people with neurological conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic and planning for the longer term, was published on 7 July 2020 and surveyed the views of over 1,600 people. Although no specific assessment of that survey has been made, the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are of course aware that the need to take pressure off NHS services, to enable it to respond to pandemic, did have an impact on the provision of routine patient care.Early in the pandemic NHS England and NHS Improvement advised that in-person consultations should only take place when absolutely necessary. As a result, providers have been rolling out remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services as a priority, including for those with neurological conditions.

NHS: Legal Costs

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £143.5 million for NHS legal costs listed on page 18 of the report by NHS Resolution,Annual report and accounts 2019/20, published on 16 July, includes staff costs and office costs incurred in connection with clinical negligence cases.

lord bethell: National Health Service legal costs do not include staff and office costs incurred in connection with clinical negligence cases.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of how much the increase in daily reported COVID-19 cases can be attributed (1) to increased testing, and (2) to changes in natural prevalence.

lord bethell: Public Health England and the Joint Biosecurity Centre established a Joint Situational Awareness Team that produces a daily situational awareness report to provide an overview of current COVID-19 epidemiology locally, regional and nationally using a range of epidemiological, clinical and other indicators (including testing data). These reports are disseminated to Directors of Public Health and discussed each morning with frontline health protection colleagues to ensure that local knowledge is factored into the interpretation of the data.

Abortion: Drugs

baroness o'loan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office on 6 July (HC Deb, col 717), when their public consultation on the use of both sets of abortion pills at home will commence; and how long the consultation will last.

baroness o'loan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what precautionsthey are taking to ensure that the public consultation on 'at home' abortions does not extend beyond the end date of the temporary order.

lord bethell: The Government has committed to undertake a public consultation on making permanent the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. The current COVID-19 measure will be kept in place until the public consultation concludes and a decision has been made. Work to develop the consultation will begin soon and further details will be available in due course, but the consultation will be completed and a Government response published, before the end date of the temporary order.

Abortion

baroness o'loan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many at-home abortions beyond 9 weeks and 6 days have been reported; and what was the gestational age of each, since the temporary order to allow them commenced.

lord bethell: The Department will be publishing an additional official statistics release of abortion data covering the COVID-19 period from January to June 2020 on 10 September. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.

World Health Organisation: Coronavirus

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to theWritten Answer byLord Bethell on 22 July (HL6754),whether any agencies or other departments, including, but not limited to, the Armed Forces and security services, have undertaken any assessment of the recent statements made by Dr Li-Meng Yan about (1) the origins of COVID-19, and (2) the response of the World Health Organisation; if not, why not; and whether they intend to call for an independent inquiry to be conducted into the conduct of the World Health Organisation onthis issue.

lord bethell: The United Kingdom believes that the World Health Organization (WHO) has an important role to play in leading the health response to COVID-19 and in longer-term leadership in global health including preparedness. We also want to see the WHO continue to learn lessons on how to improve its response to global health emergencies and as such would expect a full review of all elements of their response once they are out of response mode, as has occurred after previous Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. The WHO has confirmed a review will take place and we will continue to work closely with them and other international partners to ensure this is wide-ranging and robust.

Health Services: Pay

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement on 21 July that public sector workers will receive above inflation pay rises, what assessment they have made of the impact of that announcement on the morale of those public sector healthcare workers who will not be in receipt of such a pay rise.

lord bethell: Over one million National Health Service staff continue to benefit from the three-year Agenda for Change pay and contract reform deal agreed in partnership with NHS trade unions and employer representatives. The reforms that were agreed were not just about headline pay but introduced changes to help improve the working lives of dedicated staff. The deal introduced policies to support staff to balance their working lives with family and personal commitments and maintain their physical and mental health and wellbeing.This deal has delivered year on year pay increases for all Agenda for Change NHS staff and has seen the lowest starting salary in the NHS increase by over 16% and the starting salary for a newly qualified nurse increase by over 12%. The NHS reward offer also includes benefits that go well beyond those offered in other sectors, for instance, a generous holiday allowance and access to the world-class NHS Pension Scheme.The nature of the multi-year pay deal means that pay rises have already been determined for those public sector healthcare workers employed on the Agenda for Change contract and have been implemented throughout the course of the three years of the deal. The deal has seen the pay of those below the top of their pay band increase by at least 9% and pay for most staff at the top of their pay band increase by 6.5%, resulting in pay increases above Consumer Price Index inflation over the last three years.The established mechanism for deciding pay increases in the NHS is through the independent Pay Review Body process. The NHS Pay Review Body will make pay recommendations for Agenda for Change staff in 2021 once the current pay deal ends and the Government will carefully consider these recommendations when we receive them.

Ophthalmic Services: Standards

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the quality of service provided by optometrists; and what plans they have to review regulations regarding the provision of such services online and on the high street.

lord bethell: Optometrists in England are regulated by the General Optical Council (GOC). The GOC also regulates some optical businesses. We are aware that as part of the GOC’s current Strategic Plan, they are undertaking a project to consider reform of business regulation. The aim is to offer more consistency of regulation of businesses, both online and on the high street, across the United Kingdom and greater control of the quality of optical care delivered in the UK, which may lead to a request for legislative reform.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of easing COVID-19-related restrictions in England on those who are (1) ill, and (2) disabled.

lord bethell: The Government have considered the impact that COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions are having on those with disabilities, and poor physical and mental health.We keep these impacts under constant review assessing them to ensure that restrictions continue to be necessary and proportionate based on available scientific evidence, which includes up to date data.The Chief Medical Officer has advised that the risk of exposure to the virus in the community is now significantly reduced from where it was at the peak of the pandemic. Therefore it is appropriate to pause shielding in England from 1 August 2020, as this was designed to protect clinically extremely vulnerable people during the peak of the risk of exposure to the virus, and in recognition that asking people to shield for longer than necessary would also cause harm for example increased social isolation and impacts on mental health.

Food

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a definition of “junk food” for the purposes of policy making; and if so, what that definition is.

lord bethell: The Government has published its intention to restrict the promotion and advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS). The consultations on these policies set out proposals for the definitions of HFSS products. We have listened carefully to the feedback and will be setting out final definitions for the products these policies apply to when we publish the responses to the consultations. We will do this as soon as possible.

Ambulance Services: Alcoholic Drinks

baroness brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of alcohol-related ambulance service callouts in each of the last four years in England.

lord bethell: The information requested is not centrally collected.

NHS: Waiting Lists

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will next publish data on (1) NHS waiting lists, and (2) cancelled surgeries; and in what form.

lord bethell: Data on National Health Service waiting lists is published by NHS England on a monthly basis, with the next publication due on 13 August 2020. NHS England’s collection and quarterly publication of cancelled elective operations, along with its collection and monthly publication of cancelled urgent operations were both paused as part of the initial response to COVID-19. A date to restart collection and publication of this data has not yet been decided.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use the Nightingale Hospitals for patients with COVID-19 in the event of a second wave of the disease in order to take the pressure off other hospitals.

lord bethell: Nightingale hospitals have helped the National Health Service to rise to an unprecedented challenge by providing extra capacity to manage surges in demand due to COVID-19.All of the seven NHS Nightingale Hospitals in England are currently on standby and are ready to be utilised should they be needed in the event of a further wave of COVID-19.We continue to work closely with the NHS and partners, and guidance has already been issued on restoring urgent non-COVID services safely, whilst ensuring surge capacity can be stood up again if needed, including through the use of Nightingale hospitals.

Obesity

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will (1) measure, and (2) report on, the success of the policies outlined in their strategyTackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, published on 27 July.

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which government departments will be accountable for the implementation of their strategy Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, published on 27 July.

lord bethell: We are committed to reducing obesity. The National Child Measurement Programme and Health Survey for England provide prevalence data which will be important in understanding the levels of obesity in England. Importantly, alongside reports such as the National Diet and Nutrition Survey which enables us to measure changes to the population’s diet, we will also be putting in place evaluation of our legislative action so we can understand its impact. Government departments work very closely on reducing obesity and have shared responsibility in delivering these policies.

Obesity

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be (1) the process, and (2) the timeline, for the expansion of weight management services available through the NHS announced in their strategy Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, published on 27 July; and whether this will include expansion of (a) tier 3, and (b) tier 4, weight management services.

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to involve people with relevant lived experiences in (1) the campaign, and (2) the implementation of policies, associated with their strategy Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, published on 27 July.

lord bethell: Through the new obesity strategy, published on 27 July, we are delivering a range of measures on weight management including a National Health Service 12-week weight loss plan app, expanding weight management services to help more people get the support they need, accelerating the expansion of the NHS diabetes prevention programme and making conversations about weight in primary care the norm. Further details about these measures will be available later in the year and we will engage stakeholders throughout this process. A copy of Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives is attached.



Tackling obesity
(PDF Document, 277.33 KB)

Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund research into antimicrobial resistance following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU; how such funds will be allocated; and who will allocate these funds.

lord bethell: The United Kingdom Government funds domestic research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the UK Research and Innovation research councils and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR also supports AMR research for the primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using Official Development Assistance funding, as does the Department directly through the Global AMR Innovation Fund. These investments will continue after the end of the transition period. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including AMR. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence a proportion of its budget for research into particular topics or conditions.